Thursday, April 19, 2012

The White House Becomes Tammany Hall

It is both common practice and good insider politics to favor friends and leave opponents out in the cold. It becomes a scandal when the favoritism drifts into favoring friends who are using huge taxpayer “gifts” to damage an already sick economy. Even George Washington Plunkitt, sage of Tammany, knew where to draw the line. “There’s good graft, and there’s bad graft, and the successful politician knows the difference.”

Mr. Clean, aka Barack Hussein Obama, has apparently never heard of Plunkitt. Andrew Price and I have been discussing the culture of corruption surrounding The One. Here, I want to focus on just one aspect of that corruption. The graft, cronyism and official criminal actions of his despicable administration make Boss Tweed’s activities look like a church social. Only a Chicago politician could compete with New York’s Boss Tweed for blatant self-aggrandizement and public-be-damned arrogance. But at least Tweed cooked up most of his nefarious deeds behind closed doors and through surrogates. B-HO does it openly and calls it “progressivism” and “fairness.” There’s a special level in hell for such liars and hypocrites.

Stanford’s Hoover Institution Fellow Peter Schweitzer is trying to get the word out. He calculates that about 80% of all green-weenie pie-in-the-sky funds from the Department of Energy have gone to firms whose major executives, board members or chief investors were big contributors to Obama’s 2008 campaign and are expected to do the same in 2012. Schweitzer says that the Solyndra disaster was only the tip of the iceberg, and that the Obamacrats are finding it increasingly difficult to cover up the billions of dollars tossed at unworkable schemes piloted by Obama supporters.

Here’s how G.W. Plunkitt explained it. “If two companies come to me to get a big city contract to build a bridge, and one is Democratic and one is Republican, I look to the bids. If I know that both of the bidders use high-quality materials and experienced workers, and both have bid the same price, I will give the contract to the Democrat. He’s my friend, and there might even be something extra in it for me. But if the Democrat bids low because he’s going to use inferior materials and bad workers, I will not give him the contract and if the bid by the Republican is affordable, I’ll give it to him. Who knows? Maybe he will become a friend later. But that’s the difference between good graft and bad graft.”

Now I happen to think that Obama’s green schemes are dangerous to the national health and perhaps even to national security. As of today, I don’t think his intention is to reward friends who purposely endanger public health. But it is abundantly clear that he’s perfectly willing to squelch traditional energy production and punish his non-green “enemies” while throwing good money after bad at silly, unworkable, financially irresponsible projects that are unlikely to be viable in twenty years, let alone now.

On the other hand, endangering Americans with exploding and self-immolating electric vehicles is at least gross negligence. Risking leaving huge swaths of America without energy during freezing weather because the solar panels aren’t getting enough sunlight, the wind turbines have frozen in place, and coal and oil energy have been effectively banned could easily result in negligent homicide.

Throwing billions and perhaps trillions of taxpayer dollars at unproven schemes in a poor economy is bad enough. Doing it by throwing it only at friends and contributors who have no realistic hope of succeeding is at best unethical, at worst criminal We still haven’t received a clear answer on why DOE allowed Solyndra exec and Obama contributor George Kaiser to subordinate the taxpayers’ interest in bankruptcy to Kaiser’s own interest—a violation of federal rules.

Obama not only used his influence to push DOE into approving the Solyndra, Ener1, Solar Trust for America, Beacon Power and LightSquared loans, but financial experts inside and outside the government had warned him that those companies were not viable, regardless of the federal funds thrown at them. It is also hard to explain how pouring money into an outrageously expensive all-electric sports car made in Finland helps the American economy or creates American jobs.

But friends are friends, after all. For all the Obama talk of “renewable green energy” it quickly became apparent to anyone with eyes to see that the real motivator was (and is) rewarding campaign contributors. So take notice: Obama has instructed his Department of Energy to double-down and find more future bankrupt green energy companies with sleazy, incompetent boards and executives to spend taxpayers’ money on. There must be a wealth of flim-flam men out there, ready to take federal green energy money and kick it back to the President’s campaign before filing for bankruptcy protection.

Even Plunkitt of Tammany Hall would turn red with shame at this kind of cronyism.

29 comments:

Tennessee Jed said...

fine post Hawk, and thanks to Peter Schweitzer. I say we cast Daniel Day-Lewis and B.O. in the film version "The Gangs of D.C."

AndrewPrice said...

Obama really has pushed the limits of graft hasn't he? I'm amazed how often it turns out that some government program involves huge payments to one of his cronies. It's shameful.

Unknown said...

Tennessee: So who do we get to play Biden? Callum Keith Rennie won't work in that slot.

rlaWTX said...

Hawk, is "the Gollum" available?

as for the rest - I'm sure he was only looking out for the US's best interest! gag.

Unknown said...

Andrew: And I have to wonder what's in it for him after we kick him out of the White House. I can't imagine he didn't feather his nest for that eventuality as well. Maybe Andy Stern paved the way for him to become the future head of the SEIU.

Unknown said...

rlaWTX: Gollum's hair plugs didn't work out quite as well. We'll have to pick someone else.

Getting inside Obama's thick head, I'm sure he is utterly convinced that what's good for Barack is good for the nation.

AndrewPrice said...

Lawhawk, I am 100% sure that his path is clear to becoming a multimillionaire the moment he leaves office. Cronies reward their friends. And I could totally see him become the head of the SEIU or just becoming a lobbyist for all his cronies (like Clinton did).

Unknown said...

Andrew: I'm with ya, pal. I have no doubts he will become a multimillionaire the moment he leaves office. And he'll be telling us that he didn't really mean it when he advocated the Buffett rule.

T-Rav said...

It brings to mind that saying about how rule by the robber barons would be preferable to rule by social activists of Obama's stripe. The former's greed may be appeased, but the latter are too restless and moralistic to ever be satisfied.

Unknown said...

T-Rav: And social activists don't create jobs for anybody but other social activists, at least until the federal teat dries up. Those whom the progressives called robber barons at least created real jobs and real wealth, even if they were a bit selfish about retaining much of the wealth for themselves.

BevfromNYC said...

Um...anyone interested in finally getting our new "green" Commentarama-mobile off the assembly line and into the our internet driven Commentarama-showrooms? As we know it can run on evil petroleum products OR on sunshine and good intentions (but mostly on petroleum products).

Unknown said...

Bev: And it runs best on government-subsidized pixie dust additive.

BevfromNYC said...

Yes, LawHawk, but mostly it will run on lots and lots Obama-government subsidies and "loans"...

Unknown said...

Bev: Have we scouted out our bankruptcy attorney yet? I'd do it, but I don't know how to subordinate the taxpayers to our personal advantage. And somehow, I don't think I'd get any help from the people at DOE.

rlaWTX said...

I think the first step in this laudable Green Adventure is a very large donation to TOTUS's reelection campaign. Then the DOE comes to help pick out your bankruptcy attorney and the GSA will make your travel plans and the checks start rolling in!
But that first "investment" might not be worth the return...

Tehachapi Tom said...

Hawk
Failure is bo's real claim to fame, no one has been more successful at it than he. He sits like a vulture waiting for a new disaster to divert attention from his miserable shortcomings. The spin is dizzying and disgusting.
He has however saved Carter from the bottom of the dung pile.
His own extravagances are criminal as well, sending his daughter to Mexico for spring break at our expense, argh I just can't go any further with out exploding.

T-Rav said...

I was told the Commentarama-mobile ran on the blood of the innocents.

Joel Farnham said...

LawHawk,

I think Obama's administration reminds me of a movie called Pure Luck. Martin Short is the unluckiest man alive. In a roomful of chairs, where only one is broken, he invariably sits on the broken chair.

Barack seems incapable of picking a company with any ability to earn money. If there were two companies vying for the same money and both gave him bribes...er campaign contributions, and one had any shred of competency, he would pick the other one.

I think that one of his conditions is how sleezy the CEO is. The sleezier the better.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Excellent post, LawHawk!

The Mafia ain't in decline but rather has grown.
The democratic party is composed of many politicians who share Obama's thirst for power and corruption and think nothing of the American citizens they have hurt (and possibly kill) as a result of their racket.

Al Capone was a piker compared to Obama.

The power of heist compels them.
"I was told the Commentarama-mobile ran on the blood of the innocents."

No, you're thinking of the windshield wiper fluid T-Rav.

Unknown said...

rlaWTX: OK, I'll write him a check on one of my closed accounts. Would a million dollars and a few obscene comments on women help?

Unknown said...

T-Rav: Shhhhh! That's supposed to be a trade secret. Didn't you sign the nondisclosure agreement when you came on board?

Unknown said...

Joel: I haven't seen the movie, but did he have Obama's ability to take the pratfall then claim with a perfectly straight face "I meant to do that?"

Unknown said...

Ben: Thanks. Now, who are the other four families? LOL

Tennessee Jed said...

Ted Danson as Biden, Hawk. He have to have his teeth bleached, but it could work. :)

Unknown said...

Tennessee: Excellent suggestion, and a big f'ing deal. LOL

StanH said...

Overt criminal activity. Like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, they would place former apparatchiks to siphon millions for their dedicated work for the politburo. I want to see many of these corrupt bastards in orange jumpsuits.

Unknown said...

Stan: These clowns would sue if their orange jumpsuits weren't designed and tailored by Armani.

Unknown said...

tryanmax: Interesting. The WaPo does occasionally go off the Democratic reservation and print articles critical of their buddies. John Kennedy actually banned them from the press room for awhile for writing what he considered an unjust criticism.

Unknown said...

tryanmax: Normally, I read the comments carefully enough to catch the difference between somebody citing the Washington Post versus the Washington Times (or Examiner for that matter). I'm afraid I was a bit distracted when the new Blogger compose and edit screens suddenly showed up out of nowhere and blindsided us. I promise I'll read more carefully next time.

Post a Comment